System and method for matching an offer with a quote

a technology of matching an offer and a quote, applied in the field of electronic commerce, can solve the problems of increasing the likelihood of a customer's offer being accepted, existing systems that do not allow individual travel service providers to improve their chances, and suffering from various problems

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a technology of matching an offer and a quote, applied in the field of electronic commerce, can solve the problems of increasing the likelihood of a customer's offer being accepted, existing systems that do not allow individual travel service providers to improve their chances, and suffering from various problems

US7272568B1Active Publication Date: 2007-09-18EXPEDIA INC

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Embodiment Construction

[0021]One illustrative system constructed in accordance with the present invention may be implemented as an electronic travel services broker. The several components of the illustrative system are described first, followed by a description of the operation of the system through the interaction of the several components. The illustrative system described is but one of many alternative electronic exchange purchase transactions that can be implemented in accordance with the present invention, and the breadth and scope of the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described here.

Exemplary Computing Device

[0022]FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram generally illustrating a computing device 100, one or more of which may be adapted for use in the illustrative system for implementing the invention. The computing device may be, for example, a personal computer, a handheld device such as a cell phone or a personal digital assistant, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based...

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Abstract

Described is a system and method for matching a customer's offer for travel services with quotes from providers of those travel services in a way that allows the providers to negotiate preferential treatment. An online travel service exchanger receives an offer from a customer for travel services, such as airfare. The online travel service exchanger attempts to satisfy the customer's offer by retrieving from a global distribution system one or more quotes for the identified travel services. Rather than merely requesting quotes from randomly selected airlines, the online travel service exchanger first requests quotes from one preferred airline at a time in descending order of preference until the offer is satisfied. If no preferred airline satisfies the offer, the online travel service exchanger may request quotes from a group of non-preferred airlines. The online travel service exchanger then satisfies, if possible, the offer with one of the quotes from the non-preferred airlines.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to electronic commerce. More specifically, the invention relates to the purchase of travel services, such as airfare, in an electronic exchange transaction.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]More and more people are purchasing goods and services electronically, such as over the Internet. Electronic exchange systems are achieving widespread use in the area of travel arrangements. These systems provide an outlet for suppliers having surplus inventory, and often allow consumers to obtain desired goods or services at below-market rates. One such system of electronic exchange is used by “online travel service exchangers” and allows customers to place an offer for travel services, such as airfare or airline accommodations. However, existing online travel service exchangers suffer from various problems. For instance, existing systems do not allow individual travel service providers to better their chances at being selected as the winn...

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Application Information

Patent Timeline

18 Sep 2007

Publication

US7272568B1

IPC: G06Q10/00

CPC: G06Q10/02; G06Q30/08; G06Q50/188

Inventors: BIRCH, HUGH H.; BEITEL, DAVID A.